Matilda (character)
Matilda Wormwood (born on August All days of 1989 in film version) is the title character and protagonist of the best-selling children's novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. She is a highly precocious five year old girl who has a passion for reading books. Matilda's parents do not recognize their daughter's great intelligence and show little interest in her, particularly her father, a second-hand car dealer who has performed numerous abusive actions on Matilda. Matilda discovers she has telekinetic powers which she uses to her advantage. In the BBC Radio 4 two-part adaptation of the novel, she is played by Nicola McAuliffe. In the film as a six-year-old, she is portrayed by former American film actress and writer Mara Wilson. Mara Wilson - Fascinating Fact: 3701638 As a toddler she is portrayed by twin sisters Amanda and Caitlin Fein. Characteristics Matilda has black hair in the novel (however in the film her hair is brown) and is small in size. In the film, she says she is six and a half; in the novel, she is five and a half when she starts school. She is described as sensible and quiet, and almost unaware of her intelligence, but, as Roald Dahl observed, if you talked to her about literature or mathematics, she would show the extent of her intelligence. However, her best friend, Lavender, sees her as gutsy and adventurous. She has the power of telekinesis, the ability to move things without having to touch them. In the musical Matilda has blonde hair, her eyes are sparkling blue!There's a headteacher called miss trunchbull. about matilda's life Matilda's school is Crunchem Hall Primary which is run by a fearsome middle-aged woman named Miss Trunchbull. The school is large and black. Described as having "about 250 pupils". Matilda makes friends with many other students, particularly a girl called Lavender. While at school, Miss Trunchbull performs actions of child abuse, such as throwing a child out the window for eating sweets in class or locking children in a cupboard with nails and glass in the walls and door, known as the "Chokey", for many of the unfair rules. She is the first child to encourage Bruce to finish up all of the chocolate cake.hggggghcribed as having "about 250 pupils". Matilda makes friends with many other students, particularly a girl called Lavender. While at school, Miss Trunchbull performs actions of child abuse, such as throwing a child out the window for eating sweets in class or locking children in a cupboard with nails and glass in the walls and door, known as the "Chokey", for many of the unfair rules. She is the first child to encourage Bruce to finish up all of the chocolate cake. Described as having "about 250 pupils". Matilda makes friends with many other students, particularly a girl called Lavender. While at school, Miss Trunchbull performs actions of child abuse, such as throwing a child out the window for eating sweets in class or locking children in a cupboard with nails and glass in the walls and door, known as the "Chokey", for many of the unfair rules. She is the first child to encourage Bruce to finish up all of the chocolate cake. Matilda lives with Miss Honey, a teacher at the school after her step-parents flee the country to escape the police, as her father sells stolen car parts. A man named Mr. Trilby is made headmaster of Crunchem Hall after Miss Trunchbull's departure at the conclusion of the novel. In the film, Miss Honey is made headmistress after Miss Trunchbull's departure. Early skills *One and a half years old - Linguistic skill and vocabulary on par with that of an adult's (called a "noisy chatterbox" by her parents and told sharply that little girls should be "seen and not heard"). *Three years old - As evidence of extreme intelligence, Matilda demonstrates amateur reading skills. *Four years old - As proof of extreme intelligence, Matilda soon develops reading skills on par with that of an adult's book. Powers Matilda has extraordinary powers.Her powers are first discovered when the glass from which Miss Trunchbull drinks tips over and a newt (which Lavender caught in her garden and placed in the water pitcher) jumps onto Miss Trunchbull's shirt. The Trunchbull accuses Matilda of running out and tipping the glass over when she wasn't moving. When Matilda says that she didn't do it, a verbal argument which lasts for about a minute sprawls out between Matilda and Miss Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull ends the argument by telling Matilda to shut up and sit down. At home, Matilda practices using her powers with a cigar, learning fine control of her abilities. The last time that Matilda uses her powers is when she writes quite cheekily on the chalkboard while posing as the ghost of Miss Honey's father, ending Miss Trunchbull's reign over the school. In the film, she ends up also using her powers before she knew she had them, such as causing the television to explode when her father was forcing her to watch it, and making some food that was falling land perfectly on her plate. While she use of her powers in the novel was limited to an object that she was directly concentrating on, and. she uses the powers when she needs to help someone or teach them a lesson. Personality Throughout the book and the film, Matilda obtains an exceedingly curious, inquisitive, tenacious, hard-working and calculating personality. In many ways, Matilda is shown to be extremely resourceful and highly intelligent, a child genius. Matilda's intellect stretches so far that she can outmaneuver anyone who opposes her. She uses this many times throughout the plot. A life where she is abused, neglected and bullied by her parents and brother seem to have hardened her into total independence and self-reliance to the point where she doesn't need help from anybody else in her endeavors, and where she works in complete secrecy. She is also quite cunning and malicious, almost callously taking her revenge on her father in cruel and nearly sadistic ways. But she is unfailingly good in nature. She is surprisingly calculating for her age and manages to cover her tracks brilliantly when she humiliates her father with his own vanity. Matilda works in complete selflessness, not caring about herself at all and looking out for her friends. She is also supportive of Bruce Bogtrotter when the Trunchbull tries to punish him, and she tries to encourage him into pulling through. She also selflessly takes it upon herself to avenge the death of Miss Honey's father by going head-to-head against the Trunchbull using a mixture of her telekinetic powers, her cunning and her incredible intelligence. Matilda also shows borderline Machiavellianism when she enacts her revenge on the Trunchbull, in that she is interfering with an investigation that has long since been closed with the Trunchbull labelled as innocent. Also, in the film, she is curious to the fact that her parents are constantly shadowed by the FBI. She uses the fact that she is so small, insignificant and officially innocent to stay out of trouble with her step-parents, the FBI, her own step-brother and the Trunchbull. See also *Matilda (novel) *Matilda (film) *Matilda (musical) *Mara Wilson Writes Stuff *Sheeple * Matilda Wormwood *